Packer for machines for closing containers



June 13, 1933.

A. L.. KRONQUEST PACKER FOR MACHINES FOR CLOSING CONTAINERS Filed'Deo. 5, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheel ff Mwhlunghiiu.

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June l13, 1933. A, KRONQUESI PACKER FOR MACHINES FOR CLOSING CNTAINERS Filed Dec. 5, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Juf@ @0.

Patented June 13, 1933 stares Par I orti-cr.`

ALFRED L. KRONQUEST, OF ASYBJ-LC'U'SE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO CONTINENTAL CAN COMPANY, INC., OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,^A CORSEORATION OF NEW YORK PACKER FOR MACHINES FOR CLOSING CONTAINERS.

Application led December 5, 1930. Serial No. 500,385.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in a machine for closing containers and more particularly to the packer .K associated therewithl for pressing down the I iioating Jfood product,v in the container preparatory to the covering and sealing of the same.

An obj ect of the invention is to provide a M packer which moves continuously and which lo operates upon the containers for depressing the floating food products therein regardless of the timing of the container as it travels beneath the packer.

Y A further object of the invention is to provide a packer of the above type which is rn the Jform of an endless traveling belt positively driven and moving in a path inclined to the path of travel of the container so that as thel container passes beneath said belt the v food product will be depressed to a position level with the top of the container'.

In the drawings, which show by way otV illustration one embodiment of the invention: 28 Fig. 1 is a side View of a portion of the machine embodying the improvements.

Fig. 2 is a view partly in section and partly in end elevation of the same. Y, y Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the'` line 3-3 3l of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view showing the container as passing from beneath the packer under a retainer plate which maintains the food product in a depressed condition until the end or cover-applying station is reached.`

It has been a common expedient to provide seaming machines for closing containers with means in timing therewith for depressing the. floating food product into the container prior to the applying of the cover thereto. The present invention has to do with an improved construction of packer associated with a machine for closing containers after the food product has been placed therein. The containers iilled with the food product are fed by an endless traveling conveyor into the machine which applies a cover thereto and seams the cover to the container 5o body. A machine for closing the containers therefor.

has not been shown as it .may be of anyv desired construction.

The conveyor which conveys the container to they closing machine moves the iilled containers along a supporting bed or trackway Y Associated with this supporting bed is a packer which consists of an endless belt slightly wider than the diameter of the can which passes beneath the same. This belt is mounted on a supporting bracket so that it travels in an inclined plane. The outer end of the traveling packer is higher than the inner end so that the containers with the floating food product therein will readily pass under the. high end of the traveling packer belt. This packer belt is driven in timing with the conveyor which carries the containers along the supporting bed. The low end ot the packer belt is of sufficient height soy that the can body itself makes substantial contact therewith as the lfgoiitainer passes from beneath the packer Attached to the machine for closing the containers is a supporting bed consisting of angle irons 3, 3, the outer end of which is attached to a supporting standard 2. Upon this supporting bed 3, 3 are mounted wear plates 4, 4. The containers which are indicated at C are adapted to slide along these wear plates, resting thereon. Guide rails 5, 5 are provided for directing the cans along the wear plates 4. The containers are moved along the wear plates 4, 4 by a traveling conveyor chain 6 which is provided with spaced dogs 7. This conveyor chain runs over bars 8 supported by the angle platesB, 3. It also runs over a sprocket wheel 9 at the entering end of the machine and over a driving sprocket wheel 10 located on the bed be tween the packer and the cover applying station. Said sprocket 10 is driven from the closing machine. The sprocket chain also runs over a sprocket 11 and idlerl sprockets 12 and 18. The idler 12 as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, is mounted Afor free rotation onV a stub shaft 14 which is clamped to a depending portion ot the frame by means ot a nut 16a.` rl`he idler sprockets 9 and 13 are carried by suitable shafts which are likewise supported by the frame but for the purpose of illustration the supporting parts have been omitted from Fig. 1 of the drawings.

Mounted on the bed 3, 3 of the machine is a supporting member 1 carrying a bracket 14n. Said bracket 14 carries a standard 15a which is adj ustably attached thereto by bolts 16, 16 passing through slots 17, 17 in the standard and threaded into the bracket 14a. At the upper end of this standard 15a is a supporting head 18, said supporting head being bolted to the upper end of the standard by bolts 19, 19. Mounted in this supporting head is a shaft 20. The shaft 2O is provided with a sprocket wheel 21 adjacent the standard 15. Also mounted on this shaft 2O is a pulley having spaced flanges between which a belt 22 runs. Mounted on the head 18 are projecting arms 23. rthere is an arm at each side of the head 18 and at each side of the belt. Connecting the arms 23 is a supporting member 2li which has a cylindrical bore extending lengthwise thereof and disposed in this bore is aI rod 25. The rod 25 is reduced in section so that a spring 26 housed within the bore and bearing against the inner end of the bore will also bear against a shoulder on the rod and normally force the rod outwardly. A crossshead 27 is mounted on this rod 25 and is provided with spaced bearings 28 in which is mounted a pulley 28a over which the belt 22 runs. rlhe cross-head 27 is provided with guide rollers 29, 29 which are grooved to receive the edges of the belt 22. The head 18 also carries grooved guide rollers 30, 30 which engage the side edges of the lower strand of the belt at a point adjacent the head 18.

A sprocket chain 31 runs over the sprocket wheel 21 and also over the sprocket wheel 32 carried by the shaft 33 which supports the sprocket 11. The conveyor chain 6 drives the sprocket 11 and said sprocket 11 drives the shaft 33 and the sprocket 32. An idler sprocket 34a is carried at the outer end of the arm 35 which is mounted on the frame so that the arm may be shifted to take up the slack of the sprocket chain 31. Said arm 35 is held clamped in adjusted positions by a clamping bolt 36 which passes through a slot 37 in the arm and is threaded into a lug carried by the supporting member 1 of the machine.

rlfhrough the aid of the sprocket chain 31 the shaft 2O is positively rotated and this causes the belt 22 to travel in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1. It will be noted that the outer end of the belt running over the pulley mounted in the bearings 28, 28 is spaced a greater distance above the bed than the innerv end of the belt running over the pulley on the shaft 20. This belt is the packing belt which depresses the floating food product in th-e containers. rlhe spring 26 keeps the belt under tension so that it is veyor 6 and this plate maintains the foodv product depressed until the container reaches the cover applying station. This plate 38 is attached to the standard 15a and is adjustable with the standard so that when the standard is raised or lowered for different size containers, or for properly placing the belt so that it will permit the container to pass underneath the same, the plate is likewise adjusted to a proper position to permit the containeil to pass underneath the same and maintain the food product therein depressed in the container until it reaches th-e cover supplying means.

s shown in Figures 1 and 4 of the drawings, the food product appears projecting above the containers as they are fed beneath the packer belt and the belt will engage the food product and gradually depress the same as it travels along with the belt until it is fully depressed beneath the plane of the flange of the container.

l/Vhen it is desired to use the packer in connection with cans of different heights than those shown, the bolts 16 can be loosened and the bracket raised or lowered. The arm 35 is released so as to give up slack if necessary to the chain and may be adjusted to take up the slack for different set positions of the packer.

It is obvious that minor changes in the details of construction and the arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new and is desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination of a supporting bed,

means for conveying containers along said .t

supporting bed, means for depressing the food product in the containers as they travel along said bed, including a traveling belt arranged so as to move in a plane inclined to the path of travel of the container and disposed so that the container as it is moved beneath the belt will be caused to gradually approach the belt and the belt to make contact with the food product for depressing the same in the contain-er and means associated with said traveling belt for holding the food product depressed in the container after it leaves the belt.

2. The combination of a supportingk bed, means for conveying containers along said loll? disposed so that the container as it is moved kbeneath tue belt will be causedfto gradually approach the belt and the belt to make contact with -the food product for depressing the same in the container, said belt being mounted on a standard adjustably attached tothe bed so that it may be bodily raised or lowered` for operating upon cans of different heights.

3. The combination of a supporting bed, means for conveying containers along said supporting bed andmeans for depressing the food product in the containers as they travel along said bed, including a traveling belt arranged so as to move in a plane .inclined to the path of travel of the container and' disposed so that the container as it is moved beneath the belt will be caused to gradually approach the belt and the belt to make contact with the food product for depressing the saine in. the container, said belt being mounted on a standard adjustably attached to the bed so that it may be bodily raised or lowered for operating upon cans of different heights, and means for driving said belt, including devices for permitting the raising or lowering of the belt.

4. The combination of a supporting bed and means for conveying containers along said supporting bed, including a conveyor chain and means for depressing the food product in the containers as they travel along said bed, including a belt arranged so as to move in a plane inclined to the path of travel of the container, a standard, a head carried by said standard and devices supported by said head over which the belt travels, said devices including yielding means for placing said belt under tension, and means for driving said belt, said belt being disposed so that the container as it is moved beneath the belt will b-e caused to gradually approach the belt and the belt make contact with the food product for depressing the same in the container.

5. lThe combination of a supporting bed, means for conveying containers along said supporting bed and means for depressing the food product in the container, including a traveling belt, a standard, a head carried by said standard, devices mounted on the head for supporting said belt, said devices including yielding means for placing the belt und-er tension and guide rollers for engaging the edges of the belt for preventing the belt from moving laterally, said belt being inclined to the path of travel of the container and disposed so that the container as it travels beneath the belt will be caused to gradually approach the belt and the belt to make Contact with the food product for depressing the same in the container.

6. The combination of a supporting bed, means for conveying containers along said supporting bed, means for depressing the food product in the containers as they travel along said' bed including a standard, means for supporting said standard whereby it may be raised and lowered, a supporting yhead carried by said standard, a shaft carried by said head, a pulley mounted on said shaft, means for rotating said shaft, arms projecting laterally from the standard and inclined upwardly and outwardly from the standard relative to the path of travel of the containers, a pulley mounted at the outer end of said arms and a belt running over said pulleys and so disposed relative to the travel of the containers` as to contact with and depress the floating food product therein.

7 The combination of a supporting bed, means for conveying containers along said supporting bed, means for depressing the food product in the containers as they travel along said bed including a standard, means for supporting said standard whereby it may be raised and lowered, a supporting head carried by said standard, a shaft carried by said head, a pulley mounted on said shaft, means for rotating said shaft, arms projecting laterally from the standard and inclined upwardly and outwardly from the standard relative to the path of travel of the containers, a pulley mounted at the outer end of said arms and a belt running over said pulleys and so disposed relative to the travel of the containers as to contact with and depress the floating food product therein, said arms beingv made with telescoping sections and a spring associated therewith whereby the pulleys are yieldingly forced away from each other for maintaining said belt under tension.

In testimony whereof, I afliX my signature.

ALFRED L. KRONQUEST. 

